


The Thin Veil that Separates Us

by wanderingwalmartconfused



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Gore, Bottom Eren Yeager, Eventual Smut, M/M, Magic, Slow Burn, Top Levi Ackerman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-21 12:14:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingwalmartconfused/pseuds/wanderingwalmartconfused
Summary: As his village turns a blind eye to the strange deaths that keep occurring, Eren takes it upon himself to go in search of a solution. Seeking out the powerful being spoken of in village myth, he travels into the woods hoping to help his home. Only he finds Levi instead, a stoic man who begrudgingly decides to help.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	1. Strange Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I'll add more tags as needed, but my outline is admittedly messy, so I don't want to tag what may not end up in the final result. Hoping to update AT LEAST every two weeks.

The shadows settle onto Eren's frame like a cloak as he trudges through the thick forest. Low hanging branches scratch at his skin - try to hold him back from traversing deeper into the hallowed land. Sounds one would expect to hear in a healthy woodland have long been silenced by the unseen forces that lie deep within. With each step, his feet grow heavier, his eyes burn from exhaustion. Days have passed since he began this journey; the wide, dirt path he first set off on became naught but an instinctual pull towards… He wasn’t sure anymore. There were myths and rumors as to what he may find at the end of this trek, but vague descriptions of spirits or old gods seemed too insufficient for the sheer power veiled over the forest. 

A thick root captures his boot and he stumbles to the ground, his hands catching his fall. He feels prickly twigs and sharp rocks puncture his palms. The warm trail of blood more than one would expect from a simple trip. No, this was purposeful. Necessary. The force still hiding behind its shadows and trees wanted this. Whether it was a payment or a warning, he did not know. He pushed onward, almost mindlessly. His thoughts were growing hazy as the consequences of his sleepless nights caught up to him. The few times he had attempted rest, he’d woken suddenly to the eerie feeling he’d been watched. Even now, the hair on his neck stood straight up. He has hunted before, he knows the way of the predator. He knows he’s being stalked.

Sweat beads at his forehead, but he pushes onwards. Eyes darting, half expecting something to pop out. To attack. He has no reason to believe this being is aggressive, but survival instincts flow deep within him. Forcing himself to leave the dagger at his hip untouched, he takes a steadying breath. It doesn’t force the fog away, but he feels a bit more stable. At this point, the trees seem to curl in on him, creating a tight tunnel towards an unknown destination. 

Whispers tickle the shell of his ear, but he cannot understand what is said. Whether it is because they are too quiet or because the words are an unknown language, he is not sure. They feel soothing though, low and soft. Unlike before, tension seeps from his body with every step. His shoulders loosen and his pack falls to the ground, but he leaves it. He has no need for his supplies now. His eyes flutter shut as he continues through the passage. Sight is inconsequential when one is being guided. He feels himself drifting into a sleep and allows himself to sink further into the welcoming darkness.

-

Viridian eyes blink open, heavy and grit-lined. His hand sluggishly wipes his eyes before falling limp to the ground below. Damp leaves stick to his fingertips as they explore the space around him. The floor is cold and solid. No mud clings to him. Must be stone. A cave? It would explain why his vision hasn't cleared, why only blackness assaults his gaze. His mouth is dry and when he tries to swallow, and his throat constricts painfully. Coughing around the discomfort, he rolls to his side. A shiver wracks his body as cool, untouched stone presses against him. He hears an odd noise, a click? It sounds like an animal. He curls in on himself. He's aware of his physical state. Days of travel on no sleep and limited rations render him incapable of defending himself. Making himself as small as possible is his best option. 

A light weight sinks onto him, and he flinches. His nails dig into the meaty flesh of his palms. Logically, he knows he's been seen. Heard? Still, he curls up tighter and stifles his breath. Blood roars in his ears, essentially rendering his own hearing useless. Perhaps it had been a creature scuttling around outside. The added weight on his body? Nothing more than a panic-stricken delusion. 

A few tense, but otherwise uneventful, moments pass. His body loosens, tentative relief flowing from his core. The cave feels warmer than it was before. Toes tingle in his boots as he wiggles them back and forth. A good sign, to be sure. Feeling a bit bolder, he reaches a hand out to act as his eyes. Just a few inches into his probing he feels a scratchy fabric draped across the floor. Across him. An icy chill crawls up his spine as he clutches the fabric tightly in his grip. A blanket. One that had not been there when he first woke up. Surely a malevolent being wouldn't have given him such a comfort? His eyes squint, frantically darting around the black. His breaths came in rapid puffs now, fear creeping up his throat. He tastes acrid bile at the back of his mouth before he shifts upwards and retches.

He is unconcerned as his gagging echoes across the cave walls. Whatever being gave him the blanket obviously knows where he is, no point in worrying about being found now. After the first bout of bile, his stomach has nothing left to give as puking gives way to dry heaving. His body trembles from the effort. Just as he feels his arms give way, he is pulled up and warmth envelopes him from behind. His worn body slumps into the solid heat before his mind snaps to attention. He throws an elbow backwards and receives merely a grunt in return before arms tighten around his waist. 

He pauses his struggle as a deep voice speaks behind him. The spoken language foreign to him. The arms loosen a bit, and he takes his chance to push forward to scramble away. He spins around and curses as he only sees the walls of black. The voice rings out once more to his left, just as incomprehensible as before. With no weapons, he has only his trembling hands posed in front of him. 

A flash of white sparks, and his eyes slam shut. Tripping backwards, he falls into a wall and uses the surface to steady himself. Orange glows through his eyelids, and he cautiously opens them. A small, round room is bathed in a soft light. He can see a branch off to another part of the cave on the opposite side of the room. Between him and it, a man. Short and pale, one would think the man was weak at first glance. However, a hint of sculpted arms dismisses that thought. Eyes travel down the man's body and hone in on the source of light. Fire dances between the man's fingers, licks up his arm, stopping just before reaching the hem of a shirt sleeve. The sight is mesmerizing, terrifying. The man hums a bit and drops his arm to his side, the flames still blazing.

"I forgot darkness is a weakness of your kind." The words are understood this time, and he feels his knees shake a bit. Your kind. What...what was this being? Was this what he'd been seeking? The being tilts his head to the side and studies Eren closely. Silver irises shimmer in the golden light bouncing about the room. They dart to the mess on the floor and disgust crosses the being's face.

Eren feels himself slide to the floor. Adrenaline dissipating despite his still questionable predicament. "Water?" Eren's throat still feels uncomfortably dry; the words come out scratchy and barely recognizable. His request is tentative, but the risk of upsetting a powerful being is worth the promise of cool water lubricating his throat. The being's eyes pull away from the mess on the floor and settle back on Eren. The gaze is judgemental, almost annoyed that Eren's body is so frail. A click of tongue precedes the being's departure, the soft light following. A squeak escapes Eren's mouth as he desperately tries to follow. His knees slam against the stone and throb as he pushes himself forward. The crawl is slow and awkward, but he can't be in darkness again. 

A hand falls onto his shoulder and Eren throws his head up. Cropped black hair frames the being's face. His eyes are squinted in displeasure. 

"Stay. I'll be back." 

The hand begins to pull away, and Eren grabs it, squeezes weakly. His head shakes side to side, desperate for the being to understand. The being's face softens, and Eren feels hands push him down to his bottom before slipping under his knees and back. Eren flinches as the fire comes close, but no heat radiates from the flames. They flicker and weave around his body where the being touches him, but no harm is done. He allows himself to relax into the grasp, to give his body some respite from the stress of the day. A low chuckle rumbles out from the chest against his ear. The swaying of their movement lulls Eren into a peaceful daze. His eyes drowsily move about the chambers and hallways they pass through, but if the time came where he'd have to navigate himself, he knew he'd be hopeless. Nevermind the fact that no light seeps through the rock, it's also a labyrinth. There’s no identifying markers so far as he can tell; the being must have the layout memorized.

He must have dozed during the trip because he wakes up to a cup gently prodding against his lips. The being nods to the cup and Eren opens his mouth. Cool water wets his tongue and he begins gulping quickly, trying to make up for the lack of hydration. The cup is pulled away when Eren swallows too hastily and coughs. He curls forward during the violent coughs, his lungs trying to expel the invading liquid. A hand presses to his back, tracing small circles into the fabric of his shirt. The coughs die down and he’s pushed back down. He’s been placed onto a cot, though not a very comfortable one. It’s lumpy and hard. The blankets are scratchy and make his nose tickle. But after days on his feet, it’s almost blissful to be in a bed again. 

“Who are you?”

The being sits in the middle of the chamber, eyes closed, face serene. Eren almost thinks he didn’t hear him before the mouth opens, “Levi.”

He wracks his brain for any recollection of the name. It’s no big surprise when he can think of nothing. There were always whispers of old gods, sorcerers, and creatures, but few ever claimed to have first hand experience with one. Those that did were dismissed as lunatics, soft in the head. Yet, the village would distance themselves from those individuals, fearing that they’d been touched by evil. The hypocrisy had never really dawned on Eren, but he knows if he made it back home and spoke of Levi with his burning hand, he’d be subjected to the same treatment. 

The name meaning nothing to him, Eren decides on a different approach. “ _ What _ are you?”

This gets a quiet snort out of Levi. “Do I not look like you?”

Eren hesitates. While shorter than most in his village, Levi has no remarkable or strange characteristics. His eyes are striking but not inhuman. His ears are flat, and his teeth seem blunt too. The only trait that hinted towards Levi not being entirely human was the flames still flickering about on his arm. “You do,” Eren says, dubiously.

“Then why do you think I am not one of you?”

Eren waves a weak arm towards the blazing fire despite Levi’s eyes being shut. “You have fire on your arm! And you’re not burning!” 

Levi’s eyes open and flicker down to his arm. “So I do.” There’s no inflection, no telling expression on his face. Just a statement of fact.

Eren huffs and flops back onto the cot. “I need food.” He listens as Levi shuffles about the room before a small sack is dropped onto his stomach. A sweet aroma wafts towards Eren, and he feels his stomach grumble as he hastily reaches into the burlap bag. A strange, orange ball is inside. He peers up at Levi, his eyes wide in confusion. The man simply stares down at him. Eren turns his eyes back to the sphere. It seems harmless. It smells delicious. He shrugs and takes a large bite. Sweet juice shoots onto his tongue. Eren moans and takes another bite before finishing the first. There’s an odd, bitter aftertaste, but the sweet nectar makes it worth it. Just as he’s about to take another bite, the fruit is stolen from his grasp. He stares up at Levi, open mouthed and shocked. The man just stole his food. His hands make a grabbing motion for the fruit but Levi raises his arm out of reach.

“You’re hopeless.” He takes a step back, his fingers nimbly peeling the top layer off of the fruit. From there, it splits into bite-sized wedges. Levi hands the wedges to Eren who looks down at the fruit in awe. Though, said amazement lasts barely anytime at all before he’s scarfing the fruit down again. He appreciates the lack of bitterness this time and quickly finishes the fruit before reaching into the bag and grabbing another.

“So good. What is it?” Juice drips down his face as he speaks, his tongue darting out to collect the liquid. 

“An orange.”

“Orange? I guess it makes sense.” He licks leftover juice from his fingers and Levi grimaces. The man throws a damp rag at Eren. 

“Clean up after yourself.”

Eren happily takes the rag and begins wiping his face and arms down. With an empty stomach and distracting thirst, he hadn’t realized dirt was caked to his skin. It’s not shocking, he’d been in the woods for days and had only come across a water source once. His palms still have dried blood and dirt clinging to them. His clothes aren’t faring much better either. Rips in his pants, stains marring his coat, and the soles of his boots are nearly worn down. His skin begins to itch as he categorizes his filth.

“Do you have somewhere I can bathe?”

Levi shakes his head. “As much as I would love to get rid of your week-old stench, you have to wait until morning.”

“Huh? Why?” 

Levi tilts his head, eyes boring into Eren’s. Feeling nervous under the scrutiny, Eren shifts on the bed and twists his fingers into the fabric of his pants. “Just how much do you know of this place?”

“I -” Eren starts before trailing off. Honestly, he didn’t know much about the dense forest other than it housed a powerful being. That was the information he’d been able to gather before his journey. It was all he felt he’d needed at the time. “Something powerful lives here.” He shrugs.

Levi stares incredulously at Eren. “Seriously, kid? That’s what you know?” He shakes his head and sighs.

“I assume you’re the one they talk about.” 

Levi’s head snaps up. “You know shit all.” 

Eren opens his mouth to argue - though he knows Levi is right - but the other man stands abruptly and points at him. “Go to sleep. I’ll get you in the morning.” He turns to leave the chamber.

“Levi!” Fear almost chokes Eren as the room grows dim with Levi’s every step. The man stops and looks down at his arm. With a slow nod, he steps towards a candle on a small table by the cot and it flickers to life as burning fingers touch the wick.

“Better?” All Eren can do is nod minutely. It’s enough for Levi who swiftly leaves, this time without interruption. Eren stares intently at the tiny flame. It barely creates enough light to bounce off the sparsely furnished room, but the cold grip of terror slowly releases its grip on Eren. He leans back into the pillows and pulls an old blanket around him. With his stomach filled and thirst quenched, his eyelids grow heavy with sleep, and he allows himself to slip into a deep slumber.

-

Screams shatter the quiet of the night. Eren jolts up, nearly tumbling out of his bed. He’s never heard such terror before. His teeth clench tightly as he grabs his jacket from the chair by his bed and rushes out the door. He can hear his parents hurriedly dressing in their room. Bursting outside, he follows the near constant screaming. Neighbors stumble out their doors, sleep still in their eyes as they too search for the source. There’s a bright orange glow from the outskirts of the village, and Eren breaks into a jog. He nearly trips in his haste but manages to catch himself. 

More screeches of agony have joined the first, becoming a choir of hellacious cacophonies. Dread lies heavy in Eren’s stomach as he nears the glow. Turning the last corner, the sight brings him to his knees. The edge of the forest is on fire. Smoke hangs thick in the air, burning embers swirling about the cloud. Residents of the village hanging from the trees, limp. Rope tight against their necks. Their faces, blue and swollen with blood. The flames lick at their clothes and swiftly engulf them. The smell of burning flesh claws at Eren’s throat. Shadows lurk at the edges of the fire, red eyes staring at the chaos. He can hear their gleeful laughs. His neighbors have caught up and try to pull the bodies from the trees, but shadows reach out and grab them, ripping limbs from their bodies and devouring their flesh. Dark red blood seeps into the dirt. More and more people die around him. Their screams echo in his ears. All he can do is watch. 

“EREN!” His head slowly swivels towards the yell, dazed. A shadow grips his mother and, with a feral grin, snaps her neck. The blood pools at his knees now. Hot and sticky. It clings to him. His hands are dripping with the viscous fluid. There’s so much he can taste the iron on his tongue. 

A shadow sweeps in front of him holding his mother’s head. It’s raised up so Eren can stare into her lifeless eyes. Her mouth moves, “It’s time to wake up, Eren.”

And the nightmare shatters, leaving him to fall, fall, fall into a dark, restless sleep.


	2. Captive Audience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finally gets his bath and tells his tale.

Levi leads Eren down the winding corridor. He can barely keep up, and keeps tripping over his own feet as he follows. Eren had woken to sweat drenched clothes and a faint ringing in his ears. He knows he’s been plagued by nightmares, but when he tries to remember them, a shadow falls over whatever terrors have haunted him. His eyes are sunken and dark. He managed to eat a light breakfast of a more familiar fruit, apples. They had been perfectly crisp and sweet enough to pull Eren from his stupor at the time, but now the consequences of his fitful sleep afflict him once more.

"Kid."

"Hmm?" 

"What's your name?"

Eren pauses. He supposes they never did get around to formal introductions. It couldn't be helped when he had been half starved and sleep deprived. "Eren." He hears Levi hum in response.

His eyes are pointed to the floor, unaware of his surroundings. He slams into a solid back and falls backwards, nearly hitting the floor. A hand fisted in his shirt is all that prevents him from crashing into stone. Levi raises an eyebrow at Eren before pulling him up and pushing him forward. He stumbles and leaves crunch under his boots. Blinking upward, the sun shines into his eyes. Bright and warm, he has to squint as he adjusts to the sudden onslaught of light. Levi nudges him forward to continue onward. Eren staggers a few times, but Levi is always quick to catch him. As they change course, Levi gently tugs on his jacket to direct him in the right direction. Eren can just feel the heat radiating from the other man’s light grip.

Forcing himself not to steal glances at the other man, he takes in the vibrant flora around them. Granted, he wasn’t entirely coherent during his last trek in this forest, but the landscape seems so vastly different. Wildlife flourishes as squirrels titter with one another, deer graze on lush grass, and birds chirp cheerful tunes. It’s like a fairytale. So unlike the eerie quiet of the forest he’d traveled through previously.

“Where are we?”

“Shouldn’t you know? You came here after all.”

Eren is quickly learning Levi is not a good source of information. 

Eren sighs, “It just seems so different than before.”

“It is.”

Deciding to leave the ambiguous statement alone, Eren takes a deep breath and revels in the morning sun warming his skin. The animals don't skitter away as they pass, but instead regard them with curiosity. The creatures still give Eren a wide hearth, but they allow Levi to pass by, only inches away. The impassive man brings his hand up grazing the fur of a deer. It's tail wags a bit before Eren steps too close and it darts a safe distance away.

"Can you talk to animals?" It's the only logical explanation, right? 

Levi snorts and shakes his head. "No." 

Eren huffs in annoyance. Other than a name, Levi has given Eren no real answers. He deflects with vague responses or mocking questions of his own. Normally, he’d consider the possibility the man was purposefully withholding information for malicious intents, but Levi’s evasiveness seems to be more an annoying personality trait rather than evil plotting. He understands that Levi thinks him stupid for traveling so deep into unknown dangers, but he  _ had _ to go. His village had been suffering at the hands of an unseen foe for too long. Odd animal attacks, unknown illnesses, and bouts of madness. The strange occurrences were too sporadic, too rare for the residents to consider them anything other than horrifying one-off events. Eren feels a swirling darkness in his gut that told him otherwise. He couldn't sit idly by any longer. Glancing at Levi, Eren sighs. It seems as though his quest wasn't completed. 

Levi pulls aside a branch and gestures Eren to duck under it. A lake comes into view, the water so clear he can see straight through to the bottom. He steps forward and stares down, amazed. Fish swirl around one another, vibrant scales sparkling as the sun shines on them. Large pieces of driftwood lay scattered across the lake's floor, providing hiding spots for the fish to dart in and around. 

As he gazes in wonder, Levi steps into the lake. His clothes have been removed and Eren can't help as his eyes rake across the naked skin. His back is marred by scars of all sizes, but three long, diagonal lines stretch from his right shoulder to his left hip. They're an angry red, almost as though they're fresh, but there's no scabs or blood. They aren't infected. Eren isn't sure what to make of them. He stares for a moment more, brow furrowed, before he realizes what he's doing and quickly strips before Levi realizes it too. Hoping his flush isn't visible, he dashes into the water and sinks down, submerging his whole body. The cool water sends a shiver across his skin. His hearing is muffled, the sloshing of water against the shoreline soothing him. Just as his lungs begin to burn from lack of oxygen, he pushes off the floor of the lake and emerges. He shakes his head, droplets of water flying through the air.

A wet rag smack into his cheek and he whips around. 

"You said you wanted to bathe, not play." Levi's hair is sudsy from the bar of soap in his hands. Eren rolls his eyes and takes the rag. It smells nice, fresh with a floral hint. Levi must have already applied soap to the fabric. Eren rubs his arm with the rag and grimaces as it quickly becomes a mucky brown. He really is filthy. He takes his time washing himself, enjoying the feel of being clean again. He finally feels refreshed, even his poor sleep no longer weighing him down. He dunks his head back into the water to soak the hair before making grabby hands at Levi for the soap. The man steps close, slippery soap held gingerly in his hands. The clear water leaves nothing to the imagination as Levi hands the soap to Eren and turns away. Eren can’t help but peek at the pale, pert ass.

Pulling his eyes away, he studies the soap. It's lumpy and misshapen unlike the pressed soaps Eren is used to buying. Levi must make his own. He lathers the bar against his hair and hums. His scalp had gotten a bit itchy, and, from the rippling reflection in the water, he could see it was pressed flat to his head and oily. 

As he's scrubbing his hair, he feels an odd lump on his temple and frowns. It's sore as he prods it experimentally. A faint hiss escapes his mouth as the bump throbs under his gentle fingertips. He turns to his companion. Levi is scrubbing their clothes clean; Eren can see the soap suds on his clothes turning brown.

"Levi?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you find me?"

Levi pauses. Shakes his head. "Not here."

"Why?"

Piercing silver eyes bore into his own. "Not here." Then they turn back to the shirt in his hand as Levi resumes scrubbing. His voice had an edge to it that Eren hadn’t heard in the short time knowing him. There has always been a lazy confidence to Levi, but his snappish tone tells a different story. Eren feels out of sorts now, his content day in the lake soured. He brings tentative fingers back to the lump on his head. It hadn't been there before, he knows it. He doesn't remember being attacked. He'd simply fallen asleep. Right? His stomach churns a bit. A dark shadow shifts just out of his peripheral and he spins around. There's just deer snuffling for food on the forest floor and a few squirrels hoarding acorns. He resolutely turns back around and scrubs his hair again. He's just being paranoid.

-

Eren isn't certain, but he has a feeling Levi isn't leading him back to the cave. He squints at some possibly familiar shrubbery, trying to determine if he saw it on the walk to the lake. Though, he knows he was too fatigued this morning to focus on much more than following Levi. Said man is stoic during the journey; as passive as always, but there’s an underlying tension now. It had been there since Eren had asked how Levi found him. Had the injury on his head been caused by Levi? Would someone planning to kill him scrub his clothes clean? Underwear and all? Eren thinks that would just be unnecessary, blood would likely get on the clothes anyways. He pauses. He’s definitely been away from home too long if he’s contemplating the likelihood of his demise based upon his clothes getting washed. He brushes the thoughts away. 

His parents are probably beside themselves with worry. He hadn’t been exactly forthright when he left; he simply told them he was going to go hunting for a few days. By his estimate, he’d been gone at least five days. Not unheard of, but bordering on worrisome. Guilt twisted in his gut at the thought. While his relationship with his parents had been strained in his teen years, he’d grown quite close to them in recent history. He doesn’t like causing them any undue stress, but he had to go. It was for the good of the village. For his home. Hopefully whatever Levi has to divulge will provide some insight into Eren’s quest. Hopefully he can go home soon.

Despite the dense foliage of the flourishing plantlife, Eren catches a glimpse of a rustic cabin a short distance away. It seems old, but rather well kempt. Ivy crawls up the sides of the home, but doesn’t take it over, rather accentuates it. Flowers grow wild against the house’s stained wooden siding - adding pops of violet, burgundy, and gold. It’s very homey and reminds Eren a bit of the houses in his village. 

Eren side-eyes Levi. “So, who lives here?”

“I do.”

“Wait, you don’t live in the cave?”

Levi looks offended at the question. It’s more of an expression than Eren has seen on the man’s face. Eren has to stifle a laugh at the man’s upturned lip and his furrowed brow. “I would never live in a damp, moldy place like that, brat.” 

Eren sputters a bit, laughter edging into his voice as he tries to respond. He’d noticed Levi had a penchant for cleaning; him scrubbing the clothes for nearly an hour was proof enough. He just hadn’t realized the full extent of the man’s fixation. For someone who could be intimidating when desired, it just didn’t seem to fit. It fills Eren with a light, giddy feeling. Tension he wasn’t aware he was still holding onto seems to float away. Perhaps he was overreacting to the discovery, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His hand flies to his lips to cover the huge grin, though it’s too late. Levi glares at Eren, who is still trying to hold back giggles, and opens the door of the cabin. He stops and motions Eren inside with a quick hand wave.

They step into an open room; the left half is the living room. Sparsely furnished, a couch is placed in front of a fireplace with a small table to the left of the seat. On the mantle, there’s a few items lining the wooden shelf. Most noticeably, a carved wolf. The carving is dust free and is placed in the center, proudly howling into the air. There’s a closed door to the right of the fireplace - likely the bedroom. The kitchen is much the same. There’s the essentials: a table, some chairs, stove, and cabinets. But, Eren can also see a drawing hanging from a wall by a knife. Not a traditional hanging method, but when the owner can light himself on fire, Eren can’t be too shocked by anything. At this distance, he can make out the faint outline of a few people huddled together. He assumes one of them is Levi. Aside from the stabbed wall, it’s what Eren would expect from a home.

Levi strides into the kitchen and sets a kettle of water on the stove. Eren shuffles a bit before taking a seat at the table. While curiosity scratches at his skull wanting to be set free, Eren doesn’t want to irritate the man further. The giggle attack at the man’s expense likely hadn’t improved his dour mood. Deciding to keep his mouth shut for the time being, Eren glances back at the drawing. Now that they’ve moved into the kitchen, he has a better view. Levi stands between two people, a rare smirk gracing his face. A tall man has a hand on Levi’s left shoulder and wears a content smile. Eren takes note of the impressive eyebrows on the man. To Levi’s right, a messy haired individual clings to his arm. Face scrunched in a grin, glasses askew. 

A cup is placed in front of Eren, and he can smell a light herbal scent waft up. His fingers encircle the dish - the warmth travels across chilled skin. He's glad they're not in the cave anymore where the air has a permanent bite to it. While the morning is cool outside, the cabin creates a cozy bubble. He takes a sip of the tea, and the lingering coolness eases away. Levi drops into the seat across from him, hands spreading out flat on either side of his own cup.

"Alright, kid, tell me what you know." Levi levels a stare at Eren.

Thinking back to the past few days is met with a fog. He can remember the overall events, a basic interpretation of what had happened, but the moment he reaches for a detail it slips from his fingertips and floats into the ether. It's frustrating; if he managed to get picked up by Levi during that time, what else happened? Fingers snap in front of his face.

"Oi, you going comatose on me or something, brat?"

Eren huffs, "The forest borders our village to the east. It's massive, but we've always been told to avoid the northeastern quadrant. No one really knows why; the story changes depending on who you ask." Eren swirls the tea in front of him and watches the liquid slosh about. He doesn't really want to tell Levi everything. The man already thinks he's stupid and rash. His story will only make it worse. 

"Some people think there's a demon in there. Others think it's an ancient beast. There's this old woman in the village. So old her eyes are squinted shut from wrinkles. She was always going on about an old god she met there as a little girl. She got lost and was found by the god. He helped her get home. Apparently he could make flowers grow in their footsteps. She always says there was more, but forgets." Eren peeked up at Levi from under his lashes. The man is looking in Eren's direction, but his gaze is fixed somewhere behind him, brow furrowed.

"Whatever is in the forest, it sounds powerful. Our village," Eren swallows a growing lump, his hands balling into fists, "our village has been having strange deaths. No one thinks they're connected. But...they're just too strange to not be. Something eviscerated a man and dangled his insides from the trees! What kind of an animal does that?" Eren throws his hands up, his face twisting in anger. "None. Yet everyone in the village chalked it up to a bear attack."

Eren was one of the few people to witness the aftermath of the carnage. He hadn't known the man well. His name was Bayrd. They'd hunted together on occasion. He was a quiet man, more apt to observe social ongoings than actively participate, but he'd been nice enough. Seeing the blood drip from still warm entrails had made Eren retch. As the town's physician, his father had inspected the mangled corpse. Eren can remember his father’s strained expression, his lips pulled back thin and tight and eyes dark with sorrow. When he’d finally given his conclusion, an animal attack, Eren tried to argue, to make him see sense. Instead, his father had snapped and told him to leave it.

"After that, there were unexplained illnesses; they made one's skin boil and blister. Made them cry bloody tears only to die in agony. Then came an apparent madness. Best friends turning on one another and beating each other senseless with no signs of stopping, only to forget it had happened. I was worried if nothing was done we'd all end up dead. So, I decided to do something." Eren shrugs, the tension in his shoulders betraying his feigned nonchalance.

"By going into the forest and seeking out an unknown, and very likely dangerous, being?” 

“Of course it sounds bad when you put it that way!” Eren stands abruptly, his chair screeching as it’s pushed back. “You didn’t see what I saw. You didn’t hear the wails of grief from surviving loved ones. You didn’t clean sweat and blood from those cursed with a seemingly untreatable disease.” Eren’s chest heaves from the effort of holding back the hot, angry tears threatening to burst forth. Levi is leaning back in his chair, face unreadable as ever. He seems to come to a conclusion and waves a hand at Eren’s chair.

“Sit.” Eren opens his mouth to argue, but Levi raises a single hand placidly. “I don’t think you’re done with your story.”

Eren glares down at the floor for a moment, trying to wrangle in his raging emotions. Taking a steadying breath, he falls back into his chair, his hands bunched in the fabric of his pants. “No one in the village would listen. They all said I was paranoid. My dad was the worst of them. I’d learned a fair bit of medicine from him growing up. I knew what I saw, so how could he not?”

A moment of silence passed as Eren gathered his thoughts. “So I asked around about the forest. No one knew much, like I told you. I decided to risk it. Either I would find something, or learn that all the stories were made up tales.” 

“What do you think so far?” Levi pushes up from the table and brings the kettle over with more tea leaves.

“Well, I found you.” 

Levi refills both of their cups. “I’m certainly not what you were looking for, but go on.”

Eren wraps his fingers around the warm cup again. “I told my parents I was going to go hunting. It was good timing, the village food stores were getting low. No one thought anything of it.” He felt guilty for lying, for likely worrying everyone. “The portion of the forest we’re told to avoid is about a three days journey away. It’s nestled against the base of a mountain range that borders us to the north. My first day was normal enough. I trapped a rabbit for dinner that night, slept fine and had a full stomach.” Eren shrugs. “The second night is when I started to feel watched.” The hair on his neck had stood on end for hours. Every snap of a twig or crunch of a leaf had set him on edge. Even in his sleep, he’d dreamt of eyes following him.

“Did you actually see anything?”

Eren shakes his head. He’d kept a close eye out, worried he was being stalked by a mountain lion at first. He’d quickly decided it was no animal. “No. And nothing had attacked. Being alone made me an easy target. If it had wanted to attack me, it would have. So, I kept going. That morning I started hearing things. It started with distant cries for help. I would chase after them, trying to find the source, but when I would hear them again, they would be coming from a different direction. Then came whispers that seemed to brush against my ear. Like the person was right behind me. I could never understand what was said.” 

He’d thought himself crazy. Had laid on his sleeping mat that third night with palms pressed tightly against his ears. Still, the whispers continued. He’d managed to sleep for a few hours. Silence had greeted him when he woke up. The whispers had left him alone for a while, but just as he started to feel grounded, they began anew. 

“I don’t really remember much after that. I know the voices kept following me, and the feeling of being watched never went away. At some point, I guess I just got so tired I passed out. Then I woke up in that cave with you.” Eren leans back, his leg bobbing up and down with nervous energy. 

“Where are you from?”

Eren tilted his head. “Huh? Why does that matter?”

“Answer the question, kid.”

His teeth grind together in irritation. Viridian eyes level a glare at the shorter man, but Levi simply raises an eyebrow. “Shiganshina.” Eren relents. Had he not been watching the man so closely, he would have missed the slight widening of eyes. Before Eren can badger Levi for answers, the man places his elbows heavily on the table.

“Well kid, there’s one thing I can tell you for certain.”

“What? What do you know?”

“You’re not in your world anymore.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Twitter !


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